The broad goal of this project is to understand the steps involved in the hormonal control of steroidogenesis. This includes the metabolic events that follow stimulation of hormone receptors in steroidogenic cells by trophic hormones. Studies were focused on the interaction of hormones with their receptors, and on analysis of coupling mechanism between receptor occupancy and androgen, progesterone or corticosteroid synthesis. The major topics examined were (1) the relationship of receptor occupancy to cyclic AMP and protein kinase activation and phosphorylation of proteins involved in steroidogenic events during acute dose-related increases in steroid production; (2) characterization of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases of steroidogenic tissues; (3) the sequence of events which leads to stimulation or inhibition of enzymes of the steroidogenic cells.